Book picks similar to
Rising Thunder by Brandon Cornwell


fantasy
first-book-of-a-series
hoopla
romance

The Eight Walls of Rogar


William Woodward - 2006
    The story unfolds in the weeks following Andaris’ seventeenth name day: Desperate to escape a life of meaningless drudgery behind the plow, he leaves the safety of his secluded valley town and ventures alone into the uncharted depths of an ancient forest, the heart of which is said to be twisted and black. Choosing to ignore the counsel of his more sensible nature, he is drawn ever onward, lured by the tantalizing splendor of distant mountains, the sheer peaks of which purportedly stand sentinel over a land long steeped in mystery. What ensues is more remarkable than anything even he could have envisioned. Andaris goes looking for adventure.... What he finds is a world in the midst of tidal change, an extraordinary place where he encounters all manner of extraordinary things—vast landscapes teeming with flora and fauna capable of firing the most malnourished of imaginations. To be sure, danger lurks around every bend, a heady amalgam of sword and sorcery which threaten to bring his young life to an abrupt end. Indeed, if not for a very fortuitous encounter, namely the crossing of paths with a band of travelers who turn out to be much more than meets the eye, it surely would have. Gaven, Ashel, and Trilla seem fated to become fast friends, the sort of companions he’d always wanted, but never thought he’d have. The Lost One and his army of shapelings are preparing to march against Rogar’s western border—the only thing standing between them and the green, fertile lands to the East. The balance of power is shifting. Despite the debt of blood owed them by their Sokerran neighbors, the Alderi Shune fear they will be made to stand alone. No one speaks of defeat, but it is on the tip of every tongue. For the first time since they were erected, more than a thousand years ago, the impossible is about to happen: The Eight Walls of Rogar are about to fall. The scales could tip in either direction, depending, oddly enough, on the choices of a rather bookish young man named Andaris Rocaren. You will forgive me, intrepid reader, if I now take the opportunity to formally invite you to join in the fun, to accompany young Andaris and his fellows into and out of the kingdoms of Nelvin, Mindere, Sokerra, and Rogar. Over hill, dell, and stream you shall go, hiking through rugged mountain ranges heavy with snow, into subterranean catacombs whose unplumbed fathoms are illumined by naught but the guttering flames of your makeshift torch, until you reach, at long last, and in just the nick of time, the battered gates of a once great civilization on the brink of war.

Trinity Unleashed


Rodney W. Hartman - 2017
    When the Intergalactic Empire has a tough mission, they send in a wizard scout. When they have an impossible mission, they send in Wizard Scout Trinity Delgado. The planet Cavos is on the verge of civil war. Only an outmanned, outgunned force of Empire peacekeepers prevent an outbreak of bloodshed on a global scale. When the peacekeepers’ commander requests an armored regiment as reinforcements, the Imperial High Command sends him Wizard Scout Trinity instead. With only a fresh out of the university grad student and a half-crazy old pilot as allies, Trinity has to find the source of Cavos’s troubles before the Empire becomes part of a disaster far greater than a mere local civil war. Caught between the peacekeepers’ resentful commander and suspicious local government officials, Trinity and her battle computer, Jennifer, have their work cut out for them. Together they must weave their way through one mystery after another leaving a trail of bloody bodies along the way until they find the answer. That is, if they can remain alive long enough to find it.

Sins of the Past


J.D. Franx - 2013
    A long life of death and fighting will wear on anyone. When Cassel brings light to a lonely life of darkness, she can no longer resist the temptation. But Yrlissa is not a typical assassin, and her past life, long forgotten, will threaten her present.

The Defender of Rebel Falls


Erik Christensen - 2017
    As a librarian—a reluctant one—his reports catch the eyes of a powerful nobleman, who selects William for an important mission. As he faces danger after danger, he soon realizes that having the right weapon is one thing, but having the wits to use it is quite another. Because when he faces his ultimate challenge, it's more than just his own life at stake.

Beyond Every Mirror


Christine Church - 2016
    Women desire him. Men envy him. Despite his charmed life, however, what Dane Bainbridge truly craves is love. But the only woman who sends his heart aflutter and his emotions in turmoil is the "imaginary woman" he has been seeing in mirrors all his life. Meirah resides in a time dimension beyond every mirror. Her world is one of imagination and nightmares, kept alive by the strength of a mortal’s blood. And Dane’s is the strongest, which curses him to life after life of suffering and torture - watching the only woman he could ever love slip away with his sacrifice. Can they break the curse that separates them before they die in a war of worlds never before known?

Endworld: Lord of Ends


Sam Ryder - 2019
    Survival depends on your ability to kick ass and take names.Radiation transforms select humans into mutated creatures who are banished from society--Enders. The males are libido-less wild animals incapable of satisfying the females, who are hot, forward and badass.Cutter has kept to himself for ten years, avoiding the conflict with a sharp tongue, stiff drink and his two best friends, his six-shooters Alpha and Beta. But the perils of the wastelands won't leave him the f--- alone. Two sisters, one human and one Ender, offer him a generous salary to protect them as they set off on a doomed peace mission. It's an offer he can't refuse, even as he knows there's no chance in hell of their succeeding.All the odds are stacked against them, but Cutter soon learns his destiny is to be more than just a bodyguard, even if it involves forging together a crack team of gorgeous human and Ender operatives who will make the insane mission much more pleasurable.Warning: Contains a harem.

Truth


Prax Venter - 2019
    He doesn’t know that his mind is purely digital, he doesn’t know he is only a copy of the original, and he certainly doesn’t remember Sasha’s betrayal. When his personal assistant in sex-demon form breaks into the game world, scarred from her own ordeals and professing her remorse, Jezebel has no choice but to make another deal. With Mark still wondering what the hell is going on, they both agree to share him as they explore the new world Jezebel has created to acclimate his human mind to its new existence as pure energy. The Mark 2.0 series contains graphic sex. Length ~ 108,300 words

Wild Sage


Jade Wolfe - 2016
     But a call from the authorities leaves her no choice. Her elderly Aunt Sage is dead, and everyone assumes it was just a terrible accident. What Clover finds is a murder mystery, a sexy new local cop, and a family secret that will change her life forever - if it doesn’t get her killed first. This ebook is a full length novel, and includes an excerpt from Wild Angel: Wilder Witch 2.

The Flesh of War


Ben Hale - 2015
    They train from birth, endure brutal conditioning, and mark their skin with every kill. They have become the very flesh of war, but their history of honor has been forgotten. Now a bounty has been issued, one which calls for the extermination of their race. To survive they must awaken to what they have lost, before their enemies begin to gather. Born in the midst of a bloody conflict, Tryton bears a heart of peace. His talent will command respect, but his nature is the true weapon. To wield it he must rise to lead them all—without sacrificing his soul. The fate of his people lies with him, but the seeds of destruction have already been sown. And the harvest has come.

Star Conqueror


J.A. Cipriano - 2018
    Well, you would if you were a dragon.When David Briggs beats the final level of Star Conqueror, that's exactly what happens to him. Gaining the power to become a fire-breathing dragon and recruited by alien freedom fighters, he has one chance to save the galaxy.There's just one problem.To stop her, he will have to break the mind control of a million super-hot female warriors, storm a hundred planets, and fight through armies of mechs.Then again, you know what they say, if you want to save the world, you better bring a dragon.Please Note: This novel contains a harem. You have been warned.

Age of Darkness


Brandon Chen - 2014
    When his village is attacked and his adopted family slaughtered, Keimaro must join with his only friend, Yata, to find vengeance for those he loved most. Hounded by a terrorist organization known as the Bounts, Keimaro travels far from his simple, shielded home into a world filled with espionage, magic, and betrayal. He gains allies along the way—others who have been wronged by the Faar Empire and who possess mystical powers that offer unique possibilities. Along the way, he faces temptation in the form of the enchanting Princess Aika and his own dark desires to overthrow the very gods who condemned his people. Keimaro faces the demon within himself and presses on, learning that vengeance can be found in many forms. Age of Darkness is about one man’s struggle to find the good within himself and to protect those he loves.

Mark of the Hero


C. Wintertide - 2018
    For fans of action & adventure with earnest young heroes finding their way in a place full of magic, enchanted weapons, and quests that lead them into situations unknown. High school senior Luke Stephens feels his life is over at age 18. Instead of enjoying his last year in school, Luke cares for his ill mother. As her health rapidly declines, defeating dragons, orcs and goblins with his best friends in their favorite video game has to come last, even if wielding magic and a blade with Mack, Cassie and Christopher is the best part of his life. But then, Dr. Richard Armitage appears at Luke’s door, and tells him that only Luke can rescue the beta players in Neverfall, the world’s first fully immersive virtual reality MMORPG. The beta players not only believe they are their characters, but think that the world of Neverfall is real, so that when they die in the game, they are dying in real life. The reason that Luke can save them? His father is the creator of Neverfall, and he has left a back door for just Luke to enter the game, while the developers are completely locked out. The one problem? Luke’s father died before he was born, and the creator of Neverfall--reclusive billionaire Xander Mallory--is very much alive. Is the professor wrong, or has Luke’s mother lied to him all his life? Luke chooses to enter the game with Mack, Cassie and Christopher by his side to put Dr. Armitage’s plan in motion and save everyone. But when mysterious dragon tattoos are magically burned into Luke’s skin, and people start referring to him as “The Dark Lord’s son” and “Dragon Prince”, Luke realizes that the plan has gone awry, and he must come up with another plan quickly or he, and everyone else, will die. C. Wintertide is a lifelong gamer and storyteller who has spent many hours playing sword and sorcery RPGs like The Witcher, Persona 5, Final Fantasy, Dragon Age, and also old-school Dungeons & Dragons, from which came a lot of the inspiration for the adventuring party of Neverfall.

A Rebel Rises


R.J. Castiglione - 2017
    During the day he was Michael Semione. He worked, spent time with his family, and did everything young professionals were meant to do. At night, he became Creighton Dian-Cecht, a druid healer in Fjorgyn Online. He was head of a company of crafters and adventurers known throughout the game. Things changed, however, when Michael was killed in real life while playing the game. He was reincarnated in a world based on Fjorgyn a level one, alone and naked in the woods. When he played the game, all he wanted to do was craft and heal. Follow his new life and his new adventures and challenges. See how he reconciles his desire to only heal in this dangerous, new world.

Avatar: The Last Airbender Imbalance Comics Book Nickelodeon Avatar


Charles Alexander - 2020
    

Angst


David J. Pedersen - 2010
    Angst had longed to be a knight of Unsel, to make his mark in history, to be remembered for heroic deeds and wondrous acts. He grew up knowing he was destined for something great, but now it is too late. Not only is 40 far too old to become a knight, Angst is one of the few able to wield “the magics”.For 2,000 years magic has been outlawed, repressed, even outright destroyed throughout the world of Ehrde. By law, Angst is reduced to using his great power only to file papers. His marriage is on the rocks, his friends are bored with him, and he hates his job. The one person that makes him happy is the young Princess Victoria who seems to adore him. Unfortunately, that makes his boss, the Queen, hate him.Without warning, Unsel is besieged with dangerous monsters - birds with metallic beaks, monkey creatures that can dive through solid ground, mindless horse-eating giants. The world that shunned magic now turns to Angst for help, and he is happy to listen once his back stops hurting.On the edge of a mid-life crisis, Angst drags his reluctant friends along with him on an adventure into the heart of magic. He’s not sure where they’re going, what they’ll find, or even if they’ll survive. But he knows this is his one chance to be a hero because the only way to fight magic is with magic.